Sedentary lifestyle and drastic changes in eating habits are introducing potential health hazards in the modern World. Many of these diseases are chronic and life threatening and put burden on overall health system. Lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are prevailing along with obesity and dyslipidemia. There are many concurrent effects of obesity on overall health and fatty liver disease is one of the most critical diseases which are affecting majority of the population. Existence of some fat in liver is normal; but fatty liver disease is a condition where fat makes up more than 5%-10% of the weight of an individual's liver. This may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic liver disease and can lead to serious complications related to lipid imbalance and increased free fatty acids, thus imposing risk of cardiometabolic syndrome.
Fat from a person's diet is usually metabolized by the liver and other tissues. A fatty liver is the result of the excess fat in liver cells. Fatty tissue slowly builds up in the liver when a person's diet exceeds the amount of fat his or her body can handle. Other reasons for accumulation of fat in the liver could be the transfer of fat from other parts of the body or the inability of the liver to change it into a form that can be eliminated. Once there is build-up of excess fat, the liver becomes vulnerable to further injury, which may result in inflammation and scarring of the liver. For example, alcoholic liver disease is observed in 90 to 100% of the U.S. population who abuse or overuse alcohol. Fatty liver can occur after drinking moderate or large amounts of alcohol. It can even occur after a short period of heavy drinking (acute alcoholic liver disease). Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a condition which starts with fat accumulation in the liver without excessive alcohol consumption. It is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome in the form of obesity, and insulin resistance combined with dyslipidemia. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now the most common cause of chronic liver disease for example in the U.S. which can lead to permanent liver damage. The liver may enlarge and, over time, liver cells may be replaced by scar tissue, leading to cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, and liver-related death. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease also increases the risk of heart disease in children who are overweight or obese, thus affecting overall population.
Although some of the potential causes of fatty liver disease include long term medications, viral hepatitis, and malnutrition, the risk of developing fatty liver disease is occurring more in patients with high cholesterol, triglycerides, diabetes, in overweight or obese people. Diagnosis of fatty liver disease can be done through blood tests for liver enzymes, imaging studies and liver biopsy. But there is no specific treatment at this time for this disease. Although the trials are ongoing for evaluating effectiveness of certain antioxidants and newer diabetes medications in treating fatty liver disease, current treatment options are based on lifestyle modification, weight loss and physical activity in order to reduce the amount of fat in the liver. Thus there is a need for exploring alternative treatment options which would be safe, natural and induce favorable body conditions to combat such a chronic disease.
Earlier references reveal use of meso-zexanthin as dietary supplement for different health benefits.
Patent application GB2492881 relates to a composition comprising xanthophyll carotenoid meso-zeaxanthin (MZ) for use as a dietary supplement or food additive for oral consumption for improving the visual performance of a human subject, in particular, a human subject not experiencing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
U.S. patent application US20140187648 provides a method of improving the visual performance of a human subject, the method comprising the steps of: identifying a subject likely to have one or more of (i) low macular pigment concentration; (ii) low visual performance or (iii) an atypical ‘central dip’ macular pigment distribution; and administering an amount of a macular pigment-containing composition sufficient to improve the visual performance of the subject, wherein the macular pigment-containing composition comprises meso-zeaxanthin, lutein and/or zeaxanthin.
Patent application US20130195985 relates to a composition comprising an enzyme selected from the group comprising superoxide dismutase (SOD) and SOD mimics and the like, in association with lutein and at least one stereoisomer of zeaxanthin (i.e. meso-zeaxanthin); further the composition may be included in a functional food or dietary supplement, for use in treating, preventing or stabilizing a disease, condition or disorder of the eye associated to oxidative stress, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a medicament or a pharmaceutical composition according to the invention.
Canadian patent application CA2806009 relates to a composition comprising a natural extract containing anthocyanins, an agent for enhancing vigilance, and optionally at least one of lutein, zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin and astaxanthin; the composition being in an unitary dosage form adapted to transmucosal administration, the unitary dosage form preferably being a chewing gum, an orodispersible/orodisintegrating tablet or film or a buccal spray.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,435,846 relates to a process for obtaining stable microemulsions that are composed of a solubilizate of derivatives of oxycarotenoids of short chain organic acids, selected from the group consisting of diacetates and dipropionates of lutein, 3′epilutein, zeaxanthin, iso-zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin, capsanthin, capsorubin, astaxanthin, and cryptoxanthin monoacetate and monopropionate, wherein the microemulsions can be administered to humans as a supplement to prevent and protect cells and tissues from the damaging effect of free radicals and singlet oxygen, as well as to prevent the risk of cancers and stroke.
U.S. patent application US20050032914 describes a method of making a composition for the improvement of visual performance in the darkness comprising incorporating a carotenoid into a medicament, a food, or a beverage, wherein the carotenoid is selected from lutein, zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, or esters thereof, or canthaxanthin, or from compounds having vitamin A activity or precursors thereof, or mixtures of the foregoing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,432 provides meso-zeaxanthin compositions for pharmaceutical use and use of meso-zeaxanthin to increase the deposition of macular pigment in the human eye, and for the therapeutic treatment or prophylaxis of diseases and disorders of the macula, in particular age-related macular degeneration (AMID).
Another U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,436 relates to a method of therapy or prevention of age-related macular degeneration in a human subject by increasing deposition of yellow macular pigment in the macula of an eye of the subject, the method comprising orally administering to the subject a sufficient amount of meso-zeaxanthin to increase the serum concentration of carotenoid(s) in the subject to at least 0.5 μg/ml and maintain the increased serum carotenoid concentration at or above 0.5 μg/ml for at least 14 days, and at least until the macular concentration of carotenoid(s) has achieved equilibrium.
PCT patent application WO2007043046 relates to a method of preventing the onset of cancer in a subject, comprising the step of administering to said subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising a carotenoid oxidation product, in an amount effective to prevent the onset of cancer in said subject; wherein the carotenoid is a tomato carotenoid, preferably the carotenoid is selected from the group consisting of lycopene, α- and β-carotene, phytoene, phytofluene, lutein, zeaxanthin, α- and β-cryptoxanthin, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, and combinations thereof.
Korean patent application KR1020040078543 relates to compositions containing vitamin E compounds in addition to carotenoid compounds. In case of administering capsules each containing natural lycopene, natural β-carotene, natural α-carotene, and other natural carotenoids and α-tocopherol, these compositions are significantly efficacious in preventing liver cancer in humans.
Firdous, Sindhu et al (Indian Journal of Experimental Biology-49, pages 44-49, January 2011) describes the effect of meso-zeaxanthin on liver to treat drug-induced hepato-toxicity and liver injury. It was shown that meso-zeaxanthin pretreatment reduced elevated liver enzymes and thus nullified effect of liver toxicity.
Chamberlain, Hall, Patel et al (J Dig Dis Sci. 54, pages 1460-1464, May 2009) relate to effects of carotenoid zeaxanthin in treatment of liver injury in Mongolian gerbils, fed with a methionine-choline-deficient diet, for creating the condition similar to human non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). According to this study, zeaxanthin improves histopathological changes and liver injury, caused due to methionine choline-deficient (MCD) diet.